Why Max Verstappen Found Las Vegas F1 Qualifying ‘Too Much’

Max Verstappen has always been vocal about his dislike for the Las Vegas track ever since it became a staple on the current Formula 1 calendar in 2023.

But in the event’s third edition, rain plagued the race weekend and qualifying for the first time, leaving plenty of unknowns before and during the session.

But Verstappen himself admitted that even he felt the track conditions in qualifying reduced his enjoyment of driving in the wet, a skill he’s notoriously known for excelling at.

Max Verstappen: Track conditions meant no room for error

The four-time champion struggled throughout qualifying as the track was clearing up, locking up multiple times into Turn 14 and in the following chicane.

"It was super slippery [during qualifying]," he said. "You know, it felt like ice. To be honest, not a lot of fun to do. I love driving in the wet, but this for me is a little bit too much, I would say. You just have to be super careful. And honestly, I was surprised there were not too many incidents.

"So everyone was behaving quite well – or scared. Whatever. I think we were a little bit more competitive on the extreme than the intermediate [tyres]. Just super hard to do a clean lap. You have people backing out, yellow flags, locking up yourself, 360 – all of that. We just went through qualifying without too many dramas, I would say."

He was unable to put in one final lap, but overall his efforts saw him qualify just three tenths behind Lando Norris, noting that it was the maximum he could have achieved on the day.

Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing | Red Bull Racing courtesy of AT&T

"And to be on the front row is good. A bit unlucky of course with not having another lap, but I think if you look at the whole of Q3, we never really were in contention for pole anyway, so it's fine like this," he stated.

"The track does dry up and normally, lap after lap, you should be able to go faster, but there was no time. I think if you look at the whole of Q3, we were never up there."

MORE: Lando Norris Reveals Near Disaster En Route To Las Vegas GP Pole

If Norris wins from the front of the grid in Saturday’s race, Verstappen must finish right behind him to remain in contention for the title, with two races and one sprint remaining after the conclusion of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

With second-placed Oscar Piastri 25 points ahead and starting fifth on the grid, Verstappen has the potential to close the gap in the championship and increase pressure on the Australian.

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